Linepithema humile
| Notice: | This page is derived from the original publication listed below, whose author(s) should always be credited. Further contributors may edit and improve the content of this page and, consequently, need to be credited as well (see page history). Any assessment of factual correctness requires a careful review of the original article as well as of subsequent contributions.
If you are uncertain whether your planned contribution is correct or not, we suggest that you use the associated discussion page instead of editing the page directly. This page should be cited as follows (rationale):
Citation formats to copy and paste
BibTeX: @article{Ivanov2016JournalofHymenopteraResearch, RIS/ Endnote: TY - JOUR Wikipedia/ Citizendium: <ref name="Ivanov2016Journal of Hymenoptera Research">{{Citation See also the citation download page at the journal. |
Ordo: Hymenoptera
Familia: Formicidae
Genus: Linepithema
Name
Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868) – Wikispecies link – Pensoft Profile
Distribution in Ohio
Northern Ohio. Counties: Cuyahoga (Cleveland, 27.x.2005 [KI 1176], 15.xi.2005 [KI 1177], and 01.iii.2015 [observed, not coll.], same locality, leg. K. Ivanov, in a greenhouse) and an unspecified Ohio record in Arnett (1993)[1], (Fig. 1).
Where found/Habitat
Indoors, in greenhouses and conservatories.
Origin
The Paraná River drainage basin of South America.
Natural history
The Argentine ant is amongst the world’s most successful invasive species and is a nuisance everywhere it occurs. It is established primarily in regions with Mediterranean climate where it has been shown to have profound negative impacts on native biota (Suarez et al. 1998[2]; Touyama et al. 2003[3]). Workers of this genus can be identified by their broadly concave clypeus and the peculiar mandibular dentition arranged in a series of small denticles interspersed with larger single teeth. In the Northeast Linepithema humile can be separated from the superficially similar Tapinoma by the presence of a well-developed petiolar scale and the vertical orientation of the first gastral segment which does not project over the petiole.
This cosmopolitan species often thrives in disturbed habitats with abundant moisture. Nests are most often in soil, but also under cover objects, refuse piles and more rarely under tree bark. The main dietary component is honeydew from hemipterans, although these ants will also take other sweet substances including household food items, and occasionally will feed on insects (Smith 1965[4]).
Throughout its introduced range Argentine ant colonies are polygynous with pronounced unicoloniality (i.e., the formation of large colonies with multiple nests). A key attribute to the ecological success of this species thus is the absence of intraspecific aggression within the large colony (Tsutsui and Case 2001[5]). These characteristics give argentine ant colonies remarkable capacity to expand, and populations can reach extremely large sizes and cover extensive geographic areas to the detriment of other, less populous, species (Giraud et al. 2002[6]).
Ohio’s only confirmed record of this species comes from a greenhouse in Cleveland where I have observed large numbers of ground foragers on paved surfaces, exposed soil, and on tropical plant debris on the ground. In many cases foragers were accumulating around sugar syrup stations, banana, apple and other fruit pieces used for feeding tropical butterflies. Due to logistical limitations, I was not able to conduct nest searches at this location. The very high worker densities observed, however, suggest that this species now has well-established indoor colonies at this site. At present, this species can survive in the north only in heated buildings, where occasionally it can be a persistent and troublesome pest.
Taxon Treatment
- Ivanov, K; 2016: Exotic ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Ohio Journal of Hymenoptera Research, (51): 203-226. doi
Images
|
Other References
- ↑ Arnett R (1993) American insects. A handbook of the insects of America north of Mexico. Sandhill Crane Press, Gainsville, 1–1024.
- ↑ Suarez A, Bolger D, Case T (1998) Effects of fragmentation and invasion on native ant communities in coastal southern California. Ecology 79: 2041–2056. doi: 10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079[2041:EOFAIO]2.0.CO;2
- ↑ Touyama Y, Ogata K, Sugiyama T (2003) The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, in Japan: Assessment of impact on species diversity of ant communities in urban environments. Entomological Science 6: 57–62. doi: 10.1046/j.1343-8786.2003.00008.x
- ↑ Smith M (1965) House-infesting ants of the eastern United States; their recognition, biology, and economic importance. USDA Technical Bulletin 1326: 1–105.
- ↑ Tsutsui N, Case T (2001) Population genetics and colony structure of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) in its native and introduced ranges. Evolution 55: 976–985. doi: 10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055[0976:PGACSO]2.0.CO;2
- ↑ Giraud T, Pedersen J, Keller L (2002) Evolution of supercolonies: the Argentine ants of southern Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99: 6075–6079. doi: 10.1073/pnas.092694199
